Songs from a Secret Garden
by Ryuu Angel
Summary: One-shot AU, V&H... She was an impossible dream, a spirit beyond anyone’s reach, let alone a human heart. He lost himself in her bottomless green eyes, looking for a miracle… but, can love break all laws of nature? RE-EDITED


A/N: Ookay!! As I really did want to have this one corrected and impecable in the grammar aspect, after my beloved beta *hugs Dariel like mad* went through this I asked my English... eh.. I don't guess there's a word, the woman with who I practise conversation ^_^U, Annie, to go through it and correct it. She knows quite some English really so I think now there are noo mistakes!! *grins*   
And, as I already said the first time I wrote this note, this story is odd one could say, but I did get quite some reviews so I am very happy *grins and hugs all reviewers* thank you ppl!!! Rapsodhy's Song, thanks for the suggestion, you were right so I changed all the contractions as well ^_^ and to all the rest, thanks a lot!!   


**Serenade. Songs from a Secret Garden**

**I. Nocturne**   
~ Now let the day   
Just slip away   
So the dark night   
May watch over you   
Nocturne ~ 

  
_As I sit here, rocked by the river waters, I see leaves falling, carried away, swept by the crystal clear liquid which gives me life._

_I cannot tell how long I have been here, watching years, centuries, aeons go by, while I sing the river's song, not paying attention to anything other than my forest, my garden. My secret garden._

_My garden is green, as green as emeralds which dwell in my cascades and wells. Green as desire, as an unfulfilled wish. Green are the leaves that dance at your feet with the wind, and the elements decided to mould a creature that would nourish itself from the green in my garden._

_Never had the world before seen eyes as green as yours. The forest was reflected in them, it was in your soul. You were the soul of my garden._

_I have watched you, my beloved. I saw you in your watery cradle when you first learnt how to cry, the first song which bloomed on your lips. I was there when you learnt how to laugh, and your echoes flooded the forest and made my flowers awake to the sound of your joy._

_The trees loved you, spirit of the waters, gliding across the pale surface of my lakes, then stopping to caress a lily, when your wheat-gold tresses would so softly touch the waters and create gentle ripples at your feet._

_Ah, I must be aging if I start thinking like this. But it is true, my beloved, that I aged a thousand years when your gentle spirit vanished from my lands and your echo faded in my ears. Oh, beloved, didn't I warn you? Didn't I tell you about the feelings that could haunt your fragile heart and tear it to pieces?_

_We spirits of the forest, have delicate and frail hearts, my beloved. We are meant to love the trees and rivers, the land, the wind and breeze, the seasons which so softly touch the green and turn it into gold. But how could you, child, think you could fool your true nature and give your love to a man? You were not meant for this… none of this should have happened._

_Other children have come to fill the wind with laughter and songs; other swift feet have danced with the rain under my waterfalls. Eyes full of mirth and joy, shining like emeralds, children of the forest. But still, it is not the same. There will never be eyes as green and full of passion as yours, my beloved, whose name I still whisper in my long sleepless hours, when the river's song weaves dreams, a Nocturne with the stars…_

_Hitomi_   


**II. Greenwaves**   
~I remember a meadow one morning in May,   
With a sky full of dreams that sailed in that day.   
I was dancing through green waves of grass like the sea   
For a moment in time I could think I was free ~ 

  
"Prince Van! Come back! You will kill yourself!!" 

But he could not have cared less about what his counsellors yelled at him; foul words in his ears, nothing but a gust of wind that was gone as easily as it had come. The only thing that remained was him, and that untameable spirit of his. 

Riding at a neck-breaking speed, his grey stallion jumped over a fallen tree that lay across the forest trail and the low branches' leaves brushed his face, just caressing his gentle features as if not wanting to scratch him. 

The agile roe-deer leaped and dashed through the trees, swerving every now and then, disappearing behind a thick bush and then re-appearing in a clearing out of nowhere. The young prince, with hair as dark as a starless night, chased him on, racing with the gentle beast, pride against freedom and will to go on living. 

His deep auburn eyes never leaving the roe-deer's lean form, he took one of his arrows and his bow sang when the swift weapon cut the air and sank into the animal's neck. 

The prince's lips twitched in a satisfied smile, oblivious to the barking of the dogs which ran after their prey, slender greyhounds with long limbs covering the distance between their master and the deer. 

"Good shot, Mylord," congratulated one of his elder cousins, but Prince Van was not smiling anymore. His prey, although wounded and bleeding, was resisting death and still moving on, not as quickly but fast enough to escape from their dogs, white foam bubbling out of their mouths. 

"Do not speak so soon, Allen, the hunt is not over yet," he said between gritted teeth, spurring his horse on to resume the chase. 

Hunting was the only thing which pleased him now. Loneliness, anger and frustration blended in an unrecognisable mixture when he was on his grey stallion Papillion, and could taste some of the freedom he craved for in his soul. The void in him was slowly devouring the young prince, thwarted desires and wishes arousing to the surface with the thrill of the chasing to be then gently washed away out of his troubled mind, young yet burdened with the mourning of the aged. 

Mind empty of thoughts, he focused on the roe-deer, which was leaving a warm blood trail on the floor, sprinkling red droplets on the leaf-paved trails. 

Lush-green trees closed above his head, the wind whipping his coal black strands just a soft breeze in the woods, and his prey still dashed through the trees, all of the arrows now missing their target. 

Then, as quick as lightning, the roe-deer leaped over a wild bush and vanished. The prince was expecting to see it appear again among the silver trunks but it did not, and the greyhounds halted in front of the bush, their ears down and their tails between their legs. 

Van brought Papillion to a halt and growled in anger at the dogs. 

"What's the matter with you??!! Chase on!!" he yelled while the rest of the hunting party gathered in the small clearing. The young man called Allen, with blond hair and blue eyes, shook his head with a serious expression. 

"We have lost it, Mylord, God spared its life. It was not the day it had to meet its death yet." 

"What are you talking about?! We must go on, I have not come to kill deer to feed the wolves!" the prince's voice was angry and passionate, but his cousin shook his head again. 

"We cannot go on from here." 

The young prince arched his eyebrows and then scowled. "Why not?" 

A finger was raised, pointing towards the forest trail which went beyond the bushes and into a part of the woods where Van had never been before. The leaves seemed a deeper shade of green there, and the breeze blew softly, as if voicing secret words unintelligible to human ears. 

"That trail leads to the Willow Spring. This is the Secret Garden, where no mortals can set foot, because the spirits of the forest could take their revenge on us," explained the elder man to Van, and he frowned, but his eyes were full of curious wonder, prying in the greenery that was beckoning him in its silent paths. Paths not walked by any men, unstained and pure. 

His cousin, seeing the fascination that seemed to have taken hold of the prince, placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Mylord, it is said that an evil spirit dwells in the Willow Spring; those who dare to taint her waters pay a high price. We have already lost an heir to the throne to her charms; we do not want to lose you too, Mylord." 

Van frowned then at his cousin's words. "… an heir was lost here?" 

Deep down, his heart knew what was coming afterwards, but still he needed to hear the fateful words. The claw of fear clutching his soul did not want to let go, and an acrid flavour filled his mouth, turning then to ashes when the name was spoken. 

"… this was where Lord Folken disappeared." 

Time seemed to stop for a second. 

"Mylord, no-!!" 

"Come back!!!" 

"Do not act rashly Lord Van please listen-" 

It was of no use. 

Not uttering another word, he spurred his stallion with a low growl and, ignoring the men who tried to stop him grabbing his steed's reigns, he stormed into the depths of the forest, his heart hammering in his ribcage. 

Songs woven in the wind stirred in his mind and, although he did not notice when nor how, he had suddenly lost himself in the magic. 

In the Secret Garden.   


**III. Pastorale**   


_I had feared what was to come from the very first moment I saw him step in our domains. His proud and gallant frame, so noble and yet seeming so lost. His eyes were beautiful, the colour of hazelnuts in Autumn._

_Autumn, when my child danced and played hide-and-seek with the sparrows and the larks among the golden leaves, lingering yet a bit longer on the branches, until the breeze would claim them as her own and make them waltz in her arms._

_We were still happy then. My child still ran the hidden trails of my garden with smiles on her rose lips, until Hitomi saw him._

_He appeared mounted on his horse, his eyes burning with a strange fire, and I knew that this man was going to change my garden forever._

_I had seen other men like him come into my forest, and they all bore that light in their eyes, men in pursuit of something they could not name nor understand themselves. Some found death in my fountains, as their hearts were cold and full of hatred. Some others withered away and their spirit left their bodies, turning into birds which now sing in my lands._

_But this man was a fighter. There was strength inside him, I could see that. He was the kind of man who knows how to get what his heart desires, and yet knows that it cannot grant him what he truly seeks for._

_Freedom_   


**IV. Dreamcatcher**   
~ Hear my silent prayer   
heed my quiet call   
when the dark and blue surround you   
step into my sight   
look inside the light   
you will know that I have found you ~ 

She had been observing him. 

The river had told her that she was the most beautiful of all living creatures, and that the rest of the souls were nothing compared to her, but she now saw that she had been lied to. 

Her green eyes shone with curiosity, but she dared not to come close to the man with dark hair, shy of what could happen if she approached him. 

Hidden among the leaves of a willow, the spirit spied on his reflection, shining as bright and clear as a mirror in the Willow Spring's waters. 

And, suddenly, he jerked up his face. She gasped, taken by surprise, and hurriedly disappeared in the leaves.   


Had those green eyes been an illusion? 

He had seen them shining like fallen embers in a pool of emerald, a sparkle of heavenly beauty then gone in the foliage above him.   


Her cheeks were stained a pretty shade of rose pink, and she felt lighter than ever; for a moment she played with the thought of jumping from the willow and letting the wind carry her to meet the arms of the handsome stranger. 

For the first time in all her years, centuries of existence, she felt lonely and her heart yearned for company other than the trees and the birds that had been her companions until then. 

She knew it meant breaking the rules. She knew the Spirit of the Waters would not be pleased, but something inside her, something new, awoke a boldness unbeknownst to her until then. 

This stranger stirred something in her heart, and she wanted to know why it was so. But her heart was full of doubt and she dared not to show herself before his eyes, choosing instead to flee from where he was and forget about the longing that he had created inside her. 

Spirits of the forest like Hitomi, the Green Eyed Spirit of the Rivers, could chose to remain unseen to human eyes, and so the prince could only glimpse a shadow sinking in the brook which found its birth in the Willow Spring. 

"Wait!" he called, thinking that he had seen a pair of emeralds in the river quickly flowing away from his reach, crystal water slipping from his hands as he tried to cup those shining jewels in his palms. 

He had forgotten who he was or why he had come to the forest. Forgotten were his worries, his loneliness back at his castle which proudly stood at the end of the woods. 

He just wanted to lose himself in those green eyes, because he thought he had seen in them a yearning that matched his own. 

The current of the stream sang its watery melody; pebbles rolled on the stream bed, whispering encouraging words to the boy with hair the colour of midnight… 

Would he win the heart of the Princess of the Secret Garden? 

**V. Atlantia**

_~ '-¿Quién eres tú? ¿Cuál es tu patria? ¿En dónde habitas? Yo vengo un día y otro en tu busca, y ni veo el corcel que te trae a estos lugares, ni a los servidores que conducen tu litera. Rompe una vez el misterioso velo en que te envuelves como en una noche, profunda. Yo te amo, y, noble o villana, seré tuyo, tuyo siempre.' ~_   


He followed her shadow… for how long? It could've been hours, days or seasons, and if the leaves had turned to gold and fire in his chase, he wouldn't have been surprised to see it. 

She finally stopped in a small pool, green moss covering the rocky edges and water lilies floating in the surface; she hid between a white flower and a pink one, matching the blush on her silky cheeks. She was both scared and shy of that stranger who had followed her, even when she had been trying to hide from his keen sight. 

He was tired. His chest was heaving with every breath he took, and the moist air of the small clearing turned into small dew drops scattered on his elegant coat and knee-high leather boots. 

Van sighed. Had he been chasing a shadow in his imagination? No, he could feel her presence there, sweet and soft, as intangible as a sigh or a whisper, but just as real. Suddenly he felt the urge to talk, to speak to that spirit that had captivated and enraptured his soul with just a look. 

"I do not know who thou art… or where thou come from. I have come here in search of a dream and I found another illusion… now I do not know what is real and what is not real anymore…" he started, sitting on a mossy rock. Papillion, his horse, had been left way back, near the Willow Spring, but he couldn't say where that place of magic was now. In which direction to go, if every trail seemed just as green and seductive as the one before? 

But now his thoughts were miles away from the grey stallion or from going back. The only thing that counted was the 'here' and 'now'. And those two revolved around the pair of green eyes his soul was looking for. 

"My name is Van, but I fear asking for thy name, if thou art not an illusion, as there could be no name that would do justice to thy beauty… men told me that this was thy secret garden, and that no man could trespass it without paying the price, but now that I have seen thine eyes, I do not believe there would be anything sweeter that the revenge that thou may want to take from me," he said passionately. After a few seconds of silence, his spirits fell. 

"Thou sayest nothing… I am unworthy, I know. I have been left on my own, and only bitterness now lies in my heart. My father died in war, and my mother died in her grief not long after learning the ill news…" he bit his lower lip at the memories and, for once, let out all his own pain, that which he had been holding inside for so long. 

"Since then, mornings had held no sunshine for my eyes, and night was no match for the darkness which was eating me alive, slowly but steadily invading my heart. And then, my brother Folken disappeared. Perhaps thou knowest what happened to him?" he wondered, his tone growing hopeful at once and his auburn eyes scanning the waters of the pond. 

But, still, no answer from the silent pond. He gritted his teeth and sank his nails into his palms, a thin bloody thread sliding down his hand. 

"What can life hold for me, when happiness is taken away and hope is just a dream to cling to… what can men do to escape their cursed destiny? If blood is stained, thine own hands will never be pure in thine eyes. My curse has come for me, I fear," his voice became a murmur, filled with sadness. 

"Why do I have wings, if I will never fly away from the chains which retain me? To have wings… only to have them broken before your eyes. An irony. Freedom which I will never obtain, and yet I am the living symbol of liberty… are you, my Green Eyed Beauty, a prisoner too?" 

…

_He sighed, and I knew that her heart had been won. I saw how my child, my beloved, shyly appeared from behind the lilies, her eyes lovingly set on that man, that atlantean prince who carried such a heavy burden. Yes, I remember his brother very well… he came to our garden seeking for oblivion, trying to leave behind those memories that haunted him. Guilt he had, and I now see why. He had abandoned his little brother, thus burdening his young spirit even more._

_It is sad to see so much grief in a human heart, but it is not our mission to lighten that weight. Hitomi knew that, and still she chose to intertwine her fate with his._

_Ah, the expression of his face when my child appeared from the waters… she looked like a goddess, tall and fair. A water dress she wore, her nudity obscured by her long golden locks of silky hair, and her eyes shone brighter than the stars. Oh, how my heart beat of love then, my fair child, even though I foresaw that you were going to give yours to that stranger._

_You had never been imprisoned in the secret garden before because you hadn't felt it like that, hadn't thought about it. You were happy where you were, with me, with the trees you knew so well and the birds and animals whose tongues you could speak._

_And here he comes, speaking of desire, of freedom… and suddenly your eyes reflect a different light. He has shown you something you had never seen before, and you feel like a caged sparrow wanting to open your wings and fly._

_You would like to fly in his arms, wouldn't you? Soar the skies up into the blue and taste the flavour of other forests, other rivers._

_Suddenly, my secret garden is not enough for you._   


**VI. Heartstrings**   
~ Her hair was long, her limbs were white,   
And fair she was and free;   
And in the wind she went as light   
As leaf of linden-tree ~ 

"What now, Van, what evil haunts your soul? Since that fateful day when you went to the Willow Spring, you look sad and decayed," said the prince's cousin, but Van merely shrugged with a sigh. What could human eyes and ears understand of the wonders he had seen? 

How to forget her, how to chase away her memory, hovering over his heart like shadow which he treasured like a precious jewel? 

"You do not answer, Mylord? Your appetite has decayed, and no jester, no rare bird nor exhibition can make your lips curve into a smile. Now not even hunting, which raised your spirits and moved you to the forests with arrows and spears, can light your eyes. 

A shadow has been cast upon the castle, and Mylord disappears in the morning mist, lost in the forest trails like a ghostly vision, and then comes back near midnight, mind and body tired and pale your face." 

But the young prince still gave his cousin no answer. Allen could never understand the nature of the sadness devouring him, and the only place where he felt at ease was in the woods, with his Green Eyed Beauty in his arms. 

Souls akin they were, and only in her lips of dew he could find the balm to heal his wounded soul, only under her soft and silky caress he felt whole again. When reflected in those eyes, he could see himself, a sparkle of love shining for him and only for him. 

But he had told none of this to anyone. What would they say? They would think he was mad, but he did not care. He found his rest in her sweet songs, his fingers born to entangle in her honey golden tresses and forever linger there. 

His deep eyes of hazel, mist of ruby shadowing them, explored the sky blue depths of his cousin, and his lips parted as if on its own accord, voicing the words he had wanted to keep a secret. But still, maybe Allen could tell him what to do. Maybe he would know what was happening to him. 

"Tell me, cousin… you, who have trailed the forests a thousand times, who know every ravine and cliff in their domains and who could name all names of beasts and birds in their green hiding, did you ever come across a woman living in their crystal brooks?" he silently asked, his voice distant. 

"A woman?" exclaimed Allen, bewilderment filling his sky blue eyes. 

The prince with hair as black as onyx sighed, shaking his head. "… no one has heard of her, but I know she is real, as real as you and me." 

"Art thou in love, cousin?" 

He remained silent for a few seconds before giving his answer. 

"If love is what I feel, I can say I have never felt it before. It rags my breath and burns my skin, setting all of me on fire. She is both the flame that consumes me and the sweet water which can calm my thirst, her song touches my soul and lifts it to heaven with a kiss; there is nothing in this world I want as much as her, and yet I fear the dream will shatter if I take her with me.   
She is sweet and loving, earnest to give joy and smiles, a shoulder where to cry on, a caring look in her eyes when I feel decayed or sad. She can make the pain fade away with her touch, as light and soft as a summer breeze, but bringing the echoes of fragrant spring and golden autumn." 

"The lady is fair, and lucky to have captured your heart, cousin. Never have I listened to such passion-filled words as yours," smiled Allen, placing his hand on the prince's shoulder. "And who is the chosen of your heart, what name must I bestow to such a goddess as the one you have described?" 

"Alas, no name has been spoken in our long hours together, and no one can give me one because my lady seems to exist only for me," the black-haired prince said sadly, and his cousin patted his back. 

"Perhaps I know the lady, so tell me, Mylord, what does your muse look like?" 

Van smiled dreamily, his eyes sparkling like rubies. "She is pale as the moon's face, skin smooth and soft like peaches, velvet under my fingers. Pale as the winter snows, slender as a deer and as swift and nimble as one. Her face is perfect, carved in alabaster like one of those tall statues of old, with cheeks shaded with a strawberry tint when she blushes at my words and praises of her beauty. Her lips are moist rose petals, parted and sometimes caught in her pearly white teeth when she's nervous or troubled.   
Her hair is a cascade of wheat honey gold, tumbling down her back and her shoulders, but the most astonishing trait of my beloved are her eyes. I first thought I saw them in the bottom of the Willow Spring, and for a second I told myself that my mind was playing tricks on me. It could've been a stray sunray seeking refuge among the spring's foam, but I knew they were eyes, the eyes of a woman, eyes of an impossible colour, never had I seen eyes so…" 

"Green!" exclaimed Allen, his voice hoarse from the fright and dread that invaded him. 

Van smiled and turned to his cousin, eyes full of hope and happiness. "You know her then? Do you know who I am speaking of?" 

"I do not know her, Mylord, but I was told a thousand times from my mother's lips that the evil spirit living in the Willow Spring has eyes like those. I beseech thee, cousin, forget her, for what you treasure most in your life, stay away from her charming voice or we will lose you to her deadly lips, as we lost your dear brother," Allen pleaded, but the prince smiled a sad grin, shaking his head. 

"For what I most treasure in my life…?" he whispered. "Do you know what I love above all other things, what I would give my life for, cousin? I would sell my soul to the devil for eyes as hers, to lose myself in her. Stopping the clouds from raining on our lands would be easier for me than to stop loving her, how can you ask, how could I do such a thing?" he said those words so full of passion that Allen sighed, knowing the battle was lost from the beginning. 

"You will desert your people and your kingdom for a dream with a spirit? Chase an illusion the rest of your life?" the young knight asked bitterly. "Spirits will never love a human heart, it's against their nature, playful and merry, but unavoidably sinful, Mylord. Their souls belong to the forest, and thinking otherwise would be foolish; do not try to deceive yourself, cousin. Happiness does not lay in the arms of that woman." 

But his words could not reach Van's heart; it had already been given to the Green Eyed Beauty whose name he did not know. "I now see clear the path of destiny at my feet, and the road leads me to her arms. If I must die by her hand, I prefer dying happily in her lap than living a hundred lives alone." 

Allen's eyes shone and a single tear rolled down his cheek. 

"May the Lord's will be as foreseen."   


**VII. Sigma**   
~ I search for the sign   
that will set my soul free   
my heart must be pure   
so that I can find peace ~____

_I saw my beloved waiting, waiting by the willows for her lover. Sadness filled my heart, for I knew what was to come, and I had spoken with her, I had told her what my old spirit knew of what would happen if she ignored my words and did as her love told her. But, of course, it was all in vain._

_There the gallant stranger comes, although he is not a stranger in my garden anymore. He now knows every tree and flower, every bush and bird, by my beloved's hand he has walked all trails and lost himself in my child's skin. He comes back because he has discovered that there is something here that fills the void he feels._

_Look at them. Meeting by the Whisper Lake, his armour falls to his feet and he sinks into my child, limbs tangled and heated with passion and desire. She shines then, her translucent skin seems to radiate a golden light which engulfs the two lovers in its warmth. Her lips meet his a thousand times and it never is enough. His hands glide across her arched back and she moans, her voice filled with richer, deeper notes than before._

_How strange._

_I see them through my watery curtain, veiling their faces but discovering me their souls, so pure and bright, filled with love. Ah, my beloved, you indulge yourself in the belief that you can be human, that love will redeem your green garden spirit and give you wings to fly with your lover._

_But I know better, child. I can look into your heart and see that you want to run away, away from me and from the springs and brooks that saw your birth and gave you life. Feeling caged in a green and golden garden, now you want to fly away, but you will learn that sometimes, freedom will ask you a price too high to pay._

_Your spirit will wither far from my secret garden. Wanting to share his liberty, my beloved, you will also share his mortality; will you bargain eternity for an ephemeral illusion at that man's side?_

_Miracles do not exist for you._

…

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment. No words had been uttered yet between them that day, and she was eager to hear his voice, deep and melodic, only for herself. Both lying down on the moss-covered ground, the soft breeze lulled their senses as they slowly awoke into reality again after their passionate encounter. 

Hitomi felt incredibly whole at his side. 

Sometimes she felt as if she was to break into pieces, not able to contain all the love she had for him. This was something different from all she had felt in her life; if she thought about it now, only the hours spent at Van's side counted now and filled her memory, a serenade of colours, fragrances and emotions that dazzled her senses and left her breathless and anxious for more of him. 

He smiled and kissed her forehead, brushing her golden strands with his fingers. Ginger and jasmine and honeysuckle scents were trapped in her locks, filling his mind of her and only her. 

"Thou art my freedom," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there. "I had never thought I could only find myself after first having lost myself in you."   
~ My grief cannot last forever   
My love will be fulfilled ~ 

  
She smiled serenely and caressed his naked arm, tracing with gentle fingertips his strong and supple muscles. "I wish we could always be like this. Together," she said, and her voice was as fragile as crystal bells, bright as a morning in May. 

Van delved into her endless green depths and kissed her passionately; when their lips parted a little, he straightened a little, resting his weight on his forearm and looked lovingly at her. 

"In my sleepless nights I have prayed the Heavens to fulfil that wish, my love. Only thou hast seen in the darkness of my heart and kissed the pain away, my Green Eyed Beauty," he murmured sweetly. "The Spirits of the Forest will hate me forever more, for I do not know what I did to deserve a dream come true. Do spirits have names, I wonder? Or are they silent whispers the wind carries and that cannot be put down in words?" he asked cautiously, for his love had always avoided that question.   
~ I pray a sign will help me   
Be all that I can be ~ 

  
He saw her paling, and softly took her hand, bringing it to his full lips and kissing her fresh skin until it burned again, yearning for him. 

It was the last taboo. She had broken all rules and laws by giving her heart to a human, but she had been told that her name was to remain secret, because it held all of her power: anyone who knew her name would have power over her. 

But, anyway, didn't her love for this man already control her completely? What other power could her name give him over her? Chain her forever at his side? 

… so be it. She craved for closeness with him; if her name was to be the key, then let her become his slave.   
~ The wind is your voice   
The rain is your tears   
Your burning heart   
And spirit is my salvation ~ 

  
**Epilogue. Song From a Secret Garden**   


_Her name was spoken. And I saw my child asking the stranger if he would take her with him in his wings, fly to a place where they could find happiness together._

_And you, my beloved, flew like a butterfly in the wings of a sparrow, seeking for the power to grant miracles. Away from the Secret Garden where you had grown and become what you were. Leaving all your past behind._

_She never said goodbye._

_I do not know if she found happiness in the arms of that man, or if she regretted her decision for the rest of her life, but, whatever it was that she did, she certainly never looked back._

_She could have, but she chose not to._

_Perhaps I should be joyful for the lovers, but I can only feel sorrow and my heart is full of grief, for I lost a child to a loving thief._

_Many people in this world have given up all they had to chase a dream. Some may call them fools. Some, romantics. Some will sigh, wishing for the same fate to be laid at their feet. Some will cry, thinking of the later darkness they were certain to meet._

_Stories do not tell of what happened to those people. Did they find eternal bliss? Did time prove their choice amiss?_

_I often wonder what fate did my beloved encounter. She, who could make anything come true, did she find what she was looking for in him?_

_If I am to believe my old spirit, I should say that the illusion faded away. But her echoes in my garden whisper in my heart, and I remember that she was different from us all. She was a dreamcatcher._

_There is nothing here left for me, as I only exist to remind the world of my beloved's existence. I live, yet I die in remembrance of her leaving; there is no joy that can tomorrow bring me, as a sad song weaves through the trees of my Secret Garden…_

_… a goodbye song for the lovers._   
~ Though darkness Lay   
it will give way   
when the dark night   
delivers the day ~   


**~ ....···¨···.... ~**

A/N: This appeared in my head one night while I was listening at one of my cds, "Songs from a secret Garden". The music is really peaceful, and it filled my mind with images and vague impressions that turned, slowly but steadily, into a fic. I just got the two last cds by this music group and I must say I am IN LOVE with their music *sighs dreamily* so so wonderful!! 

It is based on the Spanish legend written by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, "Los ojos verdes" [The Green Eyes], which I read when I was a kid and fascinated me. Then, all the fairy books I had read, and legends and stories I had heard seemed to give my own one a little bit of themselves. Some I can name, the story of Nimrodel comes to my mind [Tolkien], and The Little Mermaid too XD aye aye, I was a great fan of that film at 9 years old *chuckles* in the end, I also found some parallelism with the elven tragedies of Beren and Luthien or Arwen and Aragorn too *sighs dreamily* I soo admired Luthien… oh well *smacks herself* stop rambling! 

It was laid first in my mind as a sad love story, but it has come out this way, neither sad nor happy, ye may give them the end ye want them to have. I wanted to experiment with the language so please forgive any mistakes there might be… as I am currently singing a music piece which is written in old English I guess some of it ended up being reflected here *sigh* if ye find any mistakes plz tell, I will be grateful if ye do [but plz don't bite me huh? I am still learning… *shrugs*]. I know I repeated a thousand times some words like "green", but in some places it's intentional, to stress a feeling or a colour in those bits where I felt it like that myself. 

Disclaimer: Secret Garden's music inspired this, so all lyrics you may find are from their cds, as well as the vignette titles ^_^ I own nothing but my mind [and depending on the moment you ask me about that, I will try to deny it *sweatdrops*]. As for part V, it's an extract in Spanish from Becquer's real legend. If any of you know Spanish and have read the legend, ye may have noticed that I quote the author sometimes, so plz don't sue >.. Verse in VI are from Tolkien's Nimrodel Lay ^__^, sung by Legolas in Lothlorien if I am not much mistaken [which I may be, considering I haven't read the book for ages U.U… I should read it again, aye aye]. 

Well, that. Me owns nothin'. Plz review ^_^ 

Ryuu ^_^, who has started college and will be quite busy from now on *sigh* 

PS: as for my other stories... err... *sweatdrops* I suffer from major writer's block with Natsu in the middle of the chapter, but anyway I guess I will have a pause in my "production" until the end of November, after having done my aikido exam *shudders*... anyway, Dariel and me also started a new story together, so go check!! *grins* an' plz review later on, savvy? ^__^ oh, and I have another one cooking in my head that I'm writing down right now... though it will be a little bit more... maybe adult in the point of view   
  



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